The Difference

A performer's résumé details your experience in a performing arts discipline, your abilities as a performer and your physical characteristics. In a professional résumé, it is considered inappropriate to include personal information, but in your performer's résumé, you should include personal information such as your height, weight, hair and eye color, and sometimes even measurements.

Format

Unlike professional résumés, performers' résumés are often broken into columns and kept to a page in length. Professional résumés tend to have short paragraph-like sections. Performer's résumés are usually divided into concise list form. For example, in a professional résumé, your acting experience might be presented like this:

EXPERIENCE

Downstage Productions, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville NY 1999-2000
Lead Actor in three fall season plays. Helped develop script, blocking, set.
Learned script; researched time period of setting; developed character study.
Performed each play three times.

In your performer's résumé, that same experience should be listed like this:

STAGE EXPERIENCE

Ain't No Coyotes in Poughkeepsie Lead/Mom Downstage Prod., SLC
Butterfaces Lead/Laundra Downstage Prod., SLC
Big Bill Lead/Mrs. Jensen Downstage Prod., SLC

Performer's résumés can include sections on education/training, union membership, performing experience, related work experience, awards/distinctions and special skills. Although the format is different, it's a good idea to explore the Résumé Guide for tips on how to write and organize an effective résumé.

Résumé Guidelines for Multitalented People

If you have focused on more than one discipline, get specific! Don't try to cram all your theater, dance and singing experience into the same document. You will not be able to do justice to your experience. If you have enough experience in more than one discipline to warrant more than one résumé, then write more than one résumé, and submit the résumé that relates to the job you're seeking.

If you're an actor and a singer, a choreographer and a dancer, a composer and a director, have a separate résumé for each title. Keep each one very focused. If you decide to include a section like "Other or Special Skills,” you can mention your other talent in a single phrase; for example: extensive theater background, or proficient in Alexander Technique. It may feel as though you are minimizing your other areas of expertise, but what you're really doing is focusing. Do not underestimate your special skills when submitting your résumé. A director or organization may be looking for something rare and atypical during an audition scenario, and those special skills may give you an edge.

Your résumé is supposed to convince an employer they should hire you, and you are perfect for the job they're offering. That means you have to keep everything in the document relevant. If you're auditioning for a musical, you'll need to highlight a variety of abilities; if you're auditioning for a Hollywood comedy, it might be unwise to emphasize your career in modern dance.

If you have developed a unique performance art genre that incorporates aspects of more than one discipline, and the job you are seeking requires this ability, then you should develop your résumé accordingly. You should still keep it to one page. Remember, choose representative highlights of your training and experience. You don't need to include everything. Be discerning. Choose your most impressive accomplishments, and in this case, choose a sample representative of your range.

Photo Options, From Headshots to Galleries

In addition to providing your physical stats within your résumé, you should consider including a photograph. A good photograph—a "headshot"—can help convey the intangible qualities about you that make you a good performer. During a large audition, putting a name to a face is important, and not including a photograph could lessen the chances of getting the part.

Performers of all disciplines can use a single headshot, but sometimes more is appropriate. For instance, a dancer may want to include a couple of full-body action shots to highlight a particular strength (for instance, jumps or turns). An actor may include a photo featuring him/herself costumed in a particular role. This approach can highlight physical and technical versatility. Whatever you choose, be sure your face is clearly defined and easy to recognize, and make sure that your contact information is stamped on the photo, in case it gets separated from your résumé.

Be careful your visuals do not detract from your résumé. Including a single headshot on the same page as your text is appropriate, but anything else should be kept separate. These separate photographs are your gallery. You may not want to include your gallery with every copy of your résumé you send out. It's more appropriate to offer a gallery to a potential employer who has expressed interest in you and requested it.

To make this affordable, consider working with a photography student. This arrangement can be a good, even trade. The photographer gains experience and additions to her/his portfolio; you gain a valuable service for a nominal cost, instead of astronomical professional fees.

Scannable Résumés

Your chances of being discovered improve greatly when your résumé is available online. See Scannable Résumés for technical tips on how to maximize hits. Once your résumé is scanned, you can upload it into searchable databases. Employers may call you if they are interested, which tips the interviewing/auditioning power-balance in your favor.